JKIA: Embarrassing Videos As Passengers Locate Their Planes In Dark During Nationwide Blackout

• The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport experienced the third major power blackout in a span of months plunging the entire airport into darkness
• Backup generators did not kick in despite forcing travellers to try and locate their flights in the darkness and leaving others stranded
• Angered netizens have since taken to social media demanding accountability for the issue that should have been fixed months ago

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is on the spot following yet another embarrassing crisis.

Passengers stranded at JKIA

Weeks after the international airport suffered leaking roofs, it experienced a major power blackout, leaving several passengers stranded.

Oddly, this was not the first this has happened, with the airport having experienced several power blackouts in the past few months.

The first outage happened in August, resulting in the Trade and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen sacking the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) managing director Alex Gitari. However, nothing seems to have changed since then.

Several videos were shared online showing the extent of the blackout at the airport.

In one such video shared by TV47 news anchor Lizah Mutuku, passengers were seen having to look for their respective flights using flashlights.

"Here at JKIA, you are forced to look for your flight using your phone torch, don’t mention luggage," she captioned the video.

Kenyans react to JKIA blackout

Netizens took to the video's comment section to voice their frustration at the phenomenon that has become rather common.

@KivungiP:

"An International Airport....touted as the largest in East and Central Africa."

@farhiyaabass:

"What’s going on all this power failure this is a national security risk especially at the airport."

@Mdau_Iano:

"So that generator is still not working despite being promised by @kipmurkomen there will never be black out again @KenyaAirports #KPLC"

@rizkah07:

"There is definitely something wrong in this country nothing seems to work well... Kcpe results,unsafe cooking oil,fuel prices,power blackouts... name it.. is there something being revealed but we can't see..."

@BikoSpeaks:

"Even mama mboga manages their vibanda way better with artificial lighting. JKIA is a cave of an airport."

@NgenoAbiud:

"National shame. Someone is sleeping on the job."

@chokwe_t:

"The other day we had buckets now it’s Carol night with candles."

@vydez:

"These guys have never heard of backup power?"

@ptason:

"Terrible is an understatement."

@bezboulah:

"@kipmurkomen I hope you are proud of this?"

@JamesWa85222507:

"Honestly, this is a shame. I feel ashamed as a Kenyan."

@AsmaaMoha12:

"This is just another level of embarrassments."

@Mishkenya254:

"Shame that they don’t have back up generators."

In a series of videos shared by CNN correspondent Larry Madowo, the airport suffered several consecutive brief blackouts.

"I go through about 50 international airports a year. This is the only one I’ve seen lose power, and so frequently," he wrote on his X page.

Murkomen claims blackouts are acts of sabotage

Meanwhile, CS Murkomen said the National Police Service needed to investigate the frequent power disruptions in the country.

According to the Transport CS, the frequent power blackouts could be an act of sabotage and coverup by government employees.

"Considering the frequency of the power disruption and taking into account the fact that JKIA is a facility of strategic national importance, we are making a formal request to the National Police Service to investigate possible acts of sabotage and coverup," Murkomen said.

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